Greetings, readers! We are back again this summer with one of the biggest shows yet! To celebrate technical rehearsals and opening we are posting some behind the scenes blogs to give you an idea of the work and collaboration that went into this production.
Adapting
Mark Hardiman has been planning this adaptation of Treasure Island for well over a year. Previously, he adapted A Christmas Carol, which also appeared on TIP's stage (the indoor one- it was too cold!). To begin he started reading script after script, looking for one that would be appropriate for the cast, the venue (TIP’s wonderful outdoor stage) and our audience. Each script, however, seemed to be lacking some of the vital elements of Robert Louis Stevenson’s original story. Part of why Hardiman wanted to do Treasure Island so much is for the mystery, danger, adventure and inspiration in the coming-of-age classic. But where one script kept the danger, it left out the mystery of the adventure. Where the mystery is kept, the humanity and innocence of Jim is lost. Where Jim keeps his innocent nature, the script would leave out the precise moment when he becomes a man, leaving out all the subtlety of decision making and the tiny moments of courage that make Jim so brave.
After reading half a dozen scripts, Hardiman decided that to keep the essence of the story and to remain truthful to the original author, while maintaining flow within safe stage combat standards, he would have to adapt it.
Beginning around September, Hardiman began to layout his plan for creating the script. Building did not commence, however, until the winter break, as the second production of Your Swash Is Unbuckled was due to perform at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. Weeks of writing and editing ensued, with some very important collaboration.
Tomorrow’s post is a linguistic look at the classic tale! Don’t miss it!
No comments:
Post a Comment